Unicorn Capital Partners, the managing company of the PharmMed Innovations venture fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, the sovereign wealth fund of the Russian Federation) and the international biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca have entered into an investment agreement with respect to Target Medicals, a resident of the Skolkovo Fund . Unicorn Capital Partners acted as a lead investor, RDIF and AstraZeneca acted as co-investors. The total size of the round is not disclosed, but it is known that following its results, the company should be ready to start pre-registration and clinical trials of the drug.
The development of Target Medicals is an inhibitor of aldosterone synthase, the enzyme responsible for the production of aldosterone. The latter, in turn, is an essential component of the system involved in the regulation of circulating blood volume and blood pressure.
The latter, in turn, is an essential component of the system involved in the regulation of circulating blood volume and blood pressure.
Последний, в свою очередь, является важнейшим компонентом системы, участвующей в регуляции объема циркулирующей крови и артериального давления.
The latter, in turn, is the most important component of the system involved in the regulation of circulating blood volume and blood pressure.
Последний, в свою очередь, является важнейшим компонентом системы, участвующей в регуляции объема циркулирующей крови и артериального давления.
The development of new pharmacological approaches for the treatment of arterial hypertension is an important medical need - in the world there are at least 1 billion people suffering from this disease. Of these, ~45% of blood pressure is not well controlled, and ~10% of the disease becomes resistant when regular use of antihypertensive drugs, including diuretics, does not lead to a sustained decrease in blood pressure to 140/90 mm Hg or below, which increases the risk of fatal complications. In a significant proportion of patients, arterial hypertension is associated with an increased level of aldosterone, however, there is still no drug to specifically reduce the synthesis of this hormone, despite numerous industry attempts to create it.
The latter, in turn, is an essential component of the system involved in the regulation of circulating blood volume and blood pressure.
Последний, в свою очередь, является важнейшим компонентом системы, участвующей в регуляции объема циркулирующей крови и артериального давления.
The latter, in turn, is the most important component of the system involved in the regulation of circulating blood volume and blood pressure.
Последний, в свою очередь, является важнейшим компонентом системы, участвующей в регуляции объема циркулирующей крови и артериального давления.
The development of new pharmacological approaches for the treatment of arterial hypertension is an important medical need - in the world there are at least 1 billion people suffering from this disease. Of these, ~45% of blood pressure is not well controlled, and ~10% of the disease becomes resistant when regular use of antihypertensive drugs, including diuretics, does not lead to a sustained decrease in blood pressure to 140/90 mm Hg or below, which increases the risk of fatal complications. In a significant proportion of patients, arterial hypertension is associated with an increased level of aldosterone, however, there is still no drug to specifically reduce the synthesis of this hormone, despite numerous industry attempts to create it.
In addition to resistant hypertension, the development can potentially be used for a number of additional indications, including primary hyperaldosteronism (hereditary, idiopathic, carcinogenic), chronic heart failure, coronary heart disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, renal failure and diabetic nephropathy, aldosterone-induced insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, cirrhosis of the liver (including with hepatorenal syndrome type II and resistance to diuretics).
Alexey Vinogradov, CEO and Managing Partner of Unicorn Capital Partners:
“We are deeply impressed by the quality and competence of the team, which managed to create a unique scientific development, without any exaggeration, ahead of the world level, and in one of the most science-intensive and highly competitive areas of biomedicine. We will do our best to support the company not only financially, but also to help combine scientific competencies with the best medical and industrial expertise, with the efforts of the best financiers and entrepreneurs to create a world-class breakthrough product. We have a first-class syndicate of investors, including RDIF and one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca. As far as we know, this is the first case of its kind when Big Pharma directly invests in the capital of a Russian biotech start-up. We hope this will serve as a positive signal for the development of the entire Russian segment of biomedical developments.”
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said:
“We are deeply impressed by the quality and competence of the team, which managed to create a unique scientific development, without any exaggeration, ahead of the world level, and in one of the most science-intensive and highly competitive areas of biomedicine. We will do our best to support the company not only financially, but also to help combine scientific competencies with the best medical and industrial expertise, with the efforts of the best financiers and entrepreneurs to create a world-class breakthrough product. We have a first-class syndicate of investors, including RDIF and one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca. As far as we know, this is the first case of its kind when Big Pharma directly invests in the capital of a Russian biotech start-up. We hope this will serve as a positive signal for the development of the entire Russian segment of biomedical developments.”
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said:
This investment is part of RDIF's strategy to support innovation and promote breakthrough healthcare technologies. It also demonstrates the synergy between RDIF and RVC, which is achieved by combining a wide network of partners, RDIF's successful experience of cooperation with leading companies in the field of medicine and pharmaceuticals, as well as industrial expertise of funds with the participation of RVC in the Russian venture capital market. This will help Target Medicals at the stages of testing the drug and its further launch on the world market in order to significantly improve the quality of life of millions of people.”
Irina Panarina, CEO of AstraZeneca, Russia and Eurasia, emphasized:
“AstraZeneca actively supports local research and development, this is one of the priorities of our activities in Russia. For several years now, we have been holding accelerators for start-ups, and together with the country's leading medical institutions, we are implementing projects to introduce innovations into clinical practice. We aim to expand this support, as we see the huge potential of Russian solutions in both the domestic and international markets. From this point of view, venture financing is a logical step.”
Irina Panarina, CEO of AstraZeneca, Russia and Eurasia, emphasized:
“AstraZeneca actively supports local research and development, this is one of the priorities of our activities in Russia. For several years now, we have been holding accelerators for start-ups, and together with the country's leading medical institutions, we are implementing projects to introduce innovations into clinical practice. We aim to expand this support, as we see the huge potential of Russian solutions in both the domestic and international markets. From this point of view, venture financing is a logical step.”
About the participants in the transaction:
Unicorn Capital Partners is the managing company of the PharmMed Innovations venture fund, created with the participation of the Russian Venture Company and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation to invest in innovative development of medicines, medical devices and software for use in medicine. We combine the efforts of doctors, scientists, financiers and entrepreneurs to ensure that advanced scientific ideas grow into new world-class products available to patients. Website: www.unicpartners.com
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) was founded in 2011 to invest in the equity capital of companies primarily in Russia, together with leading foreign financial and strategic investors. The fund acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy. At the moment, RDIF has a successful track record of implementing more than 100 projects with foreign partners totaling more than 2.1 trillion rubles, covering almost all regions of the Russian Federation. RDIF has established joint strategic partnerships with leading international co-investors from 18 countries totaling more than $40 billion. Additional information can be found on the website: rdif.ru
AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is an international science-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and marketing of prescription drugs primarily in the therapeutic areas of oncology, cardiology, nephrology and metabolism, respiratory and autoimmune diseases. . Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca is present in more than 100 countries and its innovative products are used by millions of patients around the world. Follow the company's news on the website astrazeneca.ru and Twitter @AstraZeneca
Target Medicals is a small innovative biotechnology company, a resident of the Skolkovo Foundation, developing an aldosterone synthase inhibitor, a new class of drug for the treatment of a number of cardiovascular diseases caused or accompanied by increased production of aldosterone. The development of the company is based on special approaches to the search and evaluation of chemical compounds to achieve optimal efficiency, selectivity and safety, including the resolution of the crystal structures of potential drug and target complexes.
For more information, please contact:
Daria Demidovich
Unicorn Capital Partners
Tel: +7 (495) 790-45-05
Email email: demidovich@unicpartners.com
Alexey Urazov
Russian Direct Investment Fund
Director of External Communications
Tel: +7 915 312 76 65
Email Email: Alexey.Urazov@rdif.ru
Efanova Irina
Head of External Communications, AstraZeneca
Tel: +7 (495) 799 5699
Email email: irina.efanova@astrazeneca.com
Unicorn Capital Partners is the managing company of the PharmMed Innovations venture fund, created with the participation of the Russian Venture Company and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation to invest in innovative development of medicines, medical devices and software for use in medicine. We combine the efforts of doctors, scientists, financiers and entrepreneurs to ensure that advanced scientific ideas grow into new world-class products available to patients. Website: www.unicpartners.com
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) was founded in 2011 to invest in the equity capital of companies primarily in Russia, together with leading foreign financial and strategic investors. The fund acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy. At the moment, RDIF has a successful track record of implementing more than 100 projects with foreign partners totaling more than 2.1 trillion rubles, covering almost all regions of the Russian Federation. RDIF has established joint strategic partnerships with leading international co-investors from 18 countries totaling more than $40 billion. Additional information can be found on the website: rdif.ru
AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is an international science-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and marketing of prescription drugs primarily in the therapeutic areas of oncology, cardiology, nephrology and metabolism, respiratory and autoimmune diseases. . Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca is present in more than 100 countries and its innovative products are used by millions of patients around the world. Follow the company's news on the website astrazeneca.ru and Twitter @AstraZeneca
Target Medicals is a small innovative biotechnology company, a resident of the Skolkovo Foundation, developing an aldosterone synthase inhibitor, a new class of drug for the treatment of a number of cardiovascular diseases caused or accompanied by increased production of aldosterone. The development of the company is based on special approaches to the search and evaluation of chemical compounds to achieve optimal efficiency, selectivity and safety, including the resolution of the crystal structures of potential drug and target complexes.
For more information, please contact:
Daria Demidovich
Unicorn Capital Partners
Tel: +7 (495) 790-45-05
Email email: demidovich@unicpartners.com
Alexey Urazov
Russian Direct Investment Fund
Director of External Communications
Tel: +7 915 312 76 65
Email Email: Alexey.Urazov@rdif.ru
Efanova Irina
Head of External Communications, AstraZeneca
Tel: +7 (495) 799 5699
Email email: irina.efanova@astrazeneca.com